


Fate/Stay Night: God Hand

by DONTSALTME69



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night (Visual Novel), Fate/stay night - All Media Types, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (Anime 2014)
Genre: AU where Shinji and Illya are switched with Rin and Shirou, Action, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Canon-Typical Violence, Fifth Holy Grail War, Friendship, Gen, Illya is about 15, Illya isn't a homunculous, Mystery, Rin is about the same but doesn't have Shirou to balance her out, Role Reversal, Sakura is a Master, Shinji is less of a douchebag, Shirou is a homunculous, The only Fate media I've watched is UBW Zero and Apocrypha
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23900878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DONTSALTME69/pseuds/DONTSALTME69
Summary: Illyasviel von Einzbern was a semi-normal teenage girl, and a very abnormal mage. Living in a house owned by the father of one Fujimora Taiga, she lives mostly on her own (Sakura and Fujine show up for dinner) and practices her magic in secret.Shinji Matou was a semi-normal teenage boy, and a typical mage. He's been waiting years for the Holy Grail War, and it was finally time to show his stuff. Sure, his magic that should have been his alone was split between him and his sister, but he was going to win this war regardless.Fates are about to collide as all contenders fight over the one and only Holy Grail for the chance to have their wish granted.
Relationships: Illyasviel von Einzbern & Heracles | Berserker, Illyasviel von Einzbern & Shinji Matou, Matou Sakura & Matou Shinji
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23





	1. Winter Days - Rider & Berserker

_Flames. They burned around her, their source unknown. She sat there amongst them, waiting for the end._

_An end that never came. Someone saved her._

* * *

Illyasviel von Einzbern woke up from her dream, red eyes staring up at the ceiling. She groaned, brushing aside her white hair as she sat up.

"Shouldn't have spent all night practicing magic." She grumbled to herself, getting up. And then her alarm clock went off, much to her annoyance. "I get it. Stupid clock."

After having breakfast and getting ready for the day, she checked her phone. Two texts, one from Fujine and another from Sakura.

Fujine: I got stuf i do at home, wont be comin over 4 dinner 2nite!

Sakura: I'm not going to be over for dinner. Club activity.

Illya shrugged, giving both of them a quick 'got it' to make it clear she saw their messages and then headed off for school.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Matou household, one Shinji Matou was borderline giddy throughout the morning. Sakura also seemed excited, but was keeping a much better lid on it. It was probably the only breakfast the two have had together in the past year that wasn't vaguely tense.

' _It's almost_ _time!_ ' Shinji thought to himself, scarfing down his toast. In his excitement, he forgot any sense of manners and was just going berserk on his breakfast, tearing through it like he hadn't eaten in centuries. ' _I have everything set up so I can summon the strongest Servant, Saber!_ '

Sakura ate her breakfast calmly and deliberately, thoughts also elsewhere but not quite causing her to go mad like Shinji's were.

* * *

Illya arrived early at school, where she ended up seeing Issei Ryuudo.

"Good morning." She said.

"Good morning." Issei responded, bowing. "You came early."

Illya shrugged. "I didn't really have anything else to do."

Issei nodded in understanding. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't have any club activities, right?"

"Nope. Haven't really found any that appeal to me."

"Ah. Well, I hope you find something to pass the time in the next hour before classes start." Issei walked away.

Illya headed in, just as Shinji and Sakura Matou had reached the school.

"So, Sakura, are you as excited as I am?" Shinji asked.

"I mean, it's a little hard to match _your_ excitement for this." Sakura remarked. "But, yes, yes I am. How many years have gone into training for this?"

* * *

When Shinji got to his first class of the day, he saw _her_. A girl his age with black hair tied into twintails, with blue eyes. Rin Tohsaka.

Shinji's worst enemy. They weren't enemies in the mage sense (although he is fairly certain the Tohsakas were a mage family at one point), but just in the standard 'I hate your guts' way. "Good morning, _Matou_." She simply said, with a saccharine tone that was obvious to anyone who knew her. "How was your morning?"

"Just fine, _Tohsaka_." Shinji hissed. "Archery practice went swimmingly."

"Good to hear."

Miss Fujimura burst in, sliding to a stop. "Goooood morning everyone!"

Shinji sighed. While he didn't really have much care for Fujimura (he was apathetic to her and only tolerated her existence because Sakura liked her), she was infinitely better than Tohsaka.

* * *

Meanwhile, Illya and Sakura came to their class together.

"Good morning, Sakura." Illya said.

Sakura bowed and said the same.

* * *

Later that day, it was time for the Matous to enact their plans. While they didn't really want the other to be involved in the Holy Grail War, both understood there really wasn't any way to stop each other from entering. And with most of the slots open (the only ones taken were Lancer and Caster, ones neither really wanted), it wasn't like one could beat the other to the punch on summoning and lock one out of the war.

So, at midnight, with the full moon shining over their home, they got to work. Their summoning circles were already drawn up, so all that was left was to perform the ritual.

One spoke in English, reciting his incantation to summon Saber. While Saber could theoretically be of any nationality and from anywhere in time, the greatest swordsman was King Arthur, and the one Shinji was really hoping for.

In comparison, Sakura just spoke hers in normal Japanese. She wasn't too hung up over what class of Servant she got, or who they were. She'd like to get Berserker, but she's not going to hold her breath on that with her luck.

Despite the language difference, both incantations were identical.

" _Become the bone of my sword,_

_The one who will protect me at all cost,_

_Burn through all opposition,_

_No matter what is lost._

_Servant, come forth!"_

A blinding flash shined, lighting up the area outside their windows. Once the light receded, both Matous were left in their rooms with nobody else. This was shortly followed by a loud crash in the living room, and the siblings ran out to check.

They came face to face with two new people, their Servants. One was a purple haired woman wearing a blindfold, and the other was a samurai with indigo hair. The living room itself was like a tornado had came through it and decided to actively target anything that could be smashed.

The two Servants looked to each other, before looking to their Masters.

"Ah, I see." The woman said. "You are siblings of a mage family, and both summoned us at the same time."

Shinji instantly came over to the samurai, inspecting him. "No way... You've gotta be my Saber! I knew my plan was perfect! Of course, that describes everything about me, so-"

The samurai chuckled. "I am an Assassin-class Servant." He explained. "And my Master, is that girl."

Shinji gaped in utter shock and disappointment. "Then you mean...?" He turned to the woman. "You're my Servant."

"Yes. Rider-class."

"Damn it! That's the worst one! Even _Archer_ would have been better!"

* * *

Across town, a man in a red coat sneezed as he met his new Master.

"Of course you're also catching a cold." His Master, Rin Tohsaka, grumbled.

* * *

"Well, I'm fairly certain you're out of luck." Rider said. "I doubt you'll have the time to send me back and summon another Servant of another class before the other participants beat you to it."

Sakura and Assassin merely looked at each other. "My name is Kojiro Sasaki, a samurai. May tell me your name, Master? What shall I address you as?" Assassin asked.

"I'm Sakura Matou, but you can just call me Sakura." Sakura said, warmly smiling to her Servant. It wasn't exactly what she was hoping for, but Assassin was just fine for her.

Shinji screamed in frustration, venting out all his anger. "Fine. I guess I'll let you have the privilege of being my Servant, Rider. What Heroic Spirit are you?"

" _Joy_." Rider replied. "I'm Medusa."

Shinji stared at her. "You're a _Rider_?" He questioned. "When I think Medusa, I'd think she'd be a Caster, or perhaps an Assassin, not a Rider. Fine. We can discuss what you can do in private, in the morning. For now, don't kill me in my sleep and clean up this mess."

Medusa nodded. She may not have liked her Master, but she'll... she was going say tolerate but that's far too strong a word. Coexist within the same plane of existence as him. Having decided on what word to describe her relationship with Shinji as, she got to work.

"Assassin, please help Rider out with the cleaning." Sakura requested. "And don't try to hurt her unless she hurts you first." Assassin nodded in understanding, getting to work.

* * *

The next morning, the Matous came back to a spotless living room and their Servants sitting on the couch; watching TV.

"I didn't realize Servants watched TV." Shinji said, surprised.

"I didn't feel like dematerializing just yet." Medusa explained.

"And I quite like your modern entertainment. The show about the yellow mouse is quite enjoyable." Kojiro added.

"Miss Sakura, could you please tell him to let me pick the channel for once?" Medusa requested. "If I see another children's cartoon, I think I will murder him."

"Mister Sasaki, could you please let Rider choose the channel?" Sakura asked.

Shinji grabbed the remote before Medusa could, turning off the TV. "We have a lot to talk about and not much time. Rider, come with me into the kitchen."

Medusa sighed, standing up and doing as ordered.

Once they were in the kitchen, Shinji held up his hand. On the back of it was a marking of a snake, separated into three sections (the head, the body, and the tip of the tail). "These are my Command Seals, correct?" He asked. "With these, I can force you to do anything."

"It has to be a direct command and not a broad request, but that is how it works." Medusa said.

Shinji let out a breath of relief. "Good. At least I have a safety net in case you turn on me."

"Are you saying you don't trust me?"

"Yes. That _is_ what I'm saying."

"You might be less of a moron than I thought." Medusa remarked. "So, is there anything else you want to discuss?"

"I think we should go out and have a tour of the city." Shinji said. "While I don't doubt your abilities, you are _my_ Servant after all, but knowing the lay of the land can only be an advantage."

And so, the duo headed out to tour the city and learn its layout. While they were doing that, Sakura chose to talk with her Servant and learn more about him.

* * *

While they were going around, Shinji spied a familiar figure on a rooftop.

" _Dematerialize_. _Now_." Shinji whispered. Medusa did as ordered.

' _What's wrong?_ ' She telepathically asked.

"I saw Rin Tohsaka. And judging by that man with her, I'd say she's a Master as well." He walked away, trying to make it look like he didn't see her.

* * *

To close out their tour, they stopped by the school later that night. They ended up discovering a Bounded Field there, and quickly moved to weaken it while the mage who put it there was gone.

"And that should be the last of them." Shinji muttered, sitting on the roof in front of a dark rune. "It won't be able to do any damage, especially not to another mage."

Medusa suddenly appeared behind him, throwing her dagger on a chain. It nearly hit a man with blue armor and a red spear, who was standing on top of the fence preventing people from jumping off. Shinji instantly guessed that he was the Lancer-class Servant, for obvious reasons.

"You're more astute than I thought." He remarked. "But I can't just let you go around screwing with that Bounded Field. Either leave it alone or die."

"A little late for that." Shinji said. "And besides, I know you're dying to take out the competition. Rider, show me what you can do!"

Lancer leapt down from his position, rushing at Medusa. Without the proper chance to summon her mount, she instead chose to block his opening thrust with her chain, wrapping it around his spear. Before Lancer could pull his weapon away, Medusa twisted around and threw him off the roof. "Get to safety." She ordered, before jumping after Lancer as he landed in the courtyard.

Shinji ran back inside, going down to the third floor and watching from the window. Lancer would never expect him to stay and watch, so it should be fine, right?

Medusa lashed her chain at Lancer, slashing at him with the dagger attached to it. Lancer blocked it, attempting to close the distance only to have to block another strike. Without the ability to summon her mount lest Lancer spear her, she was forced to play it safe and fight at a distance. She yanked the chain, grinding the entire length of it against Lancer's spear.

Lancer, to his credit, wasn't really breaking much of a sweat. "I'm impressed. For a Rider-class Servant, you're doing quite well without a steed." He began to charge up, a red aura exploding from his spear. "But it's time to end this! _Gaes Bol_ -"

At this precise moment, Shinji and Lancer both saw the same thing. A young girl with white hair, who had seen the fight. It was a rule among mages to never let normal people see your magic. And, as far as everyone could tell, this girl was a normal person. She ran inside.

The aura around Lancer's spear faded. "Sorry, but I gotta run. We'll finish this fight later, ya dig?" And then he vanished.

Shinji ran down to the courtyard, attempting to run after where the girl had gone. Medusa wrapped her chain around his leg, tripping him up. "Let me go!" He yelled.

"Are you seriously going to throw your life away?" Medusa questioned. "If you run in there, the only thing that will happen is your death."

"That's a kid! I'm not going to let an actual child die because I was too..." The word died in his throat. The word his grandfather always used to describe him as a mage. _Incompetent_. Sakura always took to this stuff better than him, despite having exactly as much power as him. She was always the favorite, always the one who accomplished things. She was the one who got the powerful Assassin Servant, while he was stuck with _Rider_.

A scream pierced through the night air, and Medusa let go of Shinji. He ran towards the sound, desperately hoping he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

He was too late. The girl was lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. Lancer had stabbed her in the heart.

"Saku... ra?" She weakly asked.

Shinji didn't say a word. He _couldn't_. A kid was going to die because of him.

Unless... he pulled a pendant out of pocket. It was a bright red jewel on a small chain. A gift his grandfather had given him before his passing, which could heal people. Shinji originally planned on using it on himself if things got hairy (or on Sakura, even if he would never admit it), but... he had to use it here.

The last thing Illya remembered was a flash of red.

* * *

Illya woke up in her home, confused. She could have sworn she was at school a moment ago (she was cleaning up the Archery Club as a favor to Sakura), but now she was in her living room. And then she remembered those two battling at inhuman speeds, and then the man...

It had to have been some sort of dream. And then she found a red jewel pendant in her hand, proving it was reality.

* * *

Outside, just down the street, Shinji and Medusa were waiting. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Medusa questioned.

"Do not underestimate my brilliance. Lancer isn't going to just _let_ one of his victims walk away. He'll make a move on the kid, and we swoop in, kill him while he's distracted, and cut the amount of Servants in the Holy Grail War down to six."

Medusa got ready to summon her steed, so she could fight Lancer at full power when the time came. At least this annoying twerp of a Master sort of had a clue as to what he was doing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Illya was busy making herself dinner. She'd try to figure out what happened tomorrow. Even still, she created two Familiars from strands of her hair. These were birds, basically attack drones with an adorable look.

"You know, it's really rude to just stand there in silence." Illya said, turning around. Her Familiars trained themselves on Lancer, standing in the living room with his weapon in hand.

"I'm impressed. I didn't realize you were a mage. Or that you could get back up after being stabbed in the chest." Lancer remarked. "But, I doubt you can pick yourself up again, after I'm through with you."

Illya simply giggled, before ordering her Familiars to attack. They fired some simple magical blasts, as Illya started to move for the door. While she had no clue how this guy was so fast and powerful, logic dictated that keeping her distance was the best way to avoid getting murdered.

Lancer sliced through both shots, attempting to pursue Illya. The Familiars kept firing, forcing him to block their assault as Illya ran. She didn't have a specific destination in mind beyond 'where Lancer wasn't'. Lancer broke past the Familiar's, rushing after the girl. She pulled an entire tuft of her hair out, creating a shield Familiar that blocked his attack.

Illya kept running, sprinting through the yard into her workshed (more or less just where she tries to practice magic when Sakura and Fujine might be able to see it). She created a trio of sword Familiars, pushing her magic to its current limits. She gritted her teeth in concentration, magic circuits glowing under the strain.

Nearby, a runic circle etched into the floor (currently covered by some boxes and under miscellaneous junk) started to glow blue. Lancer burst in, spear almost radiating murderous intent. "End of the line, kid."

Illya sent a sword forward, which instantly got shattered by Lancer. He started to move forward, only sense a wild surge of magic. The rune circle exploded with power, and Lancer instinctively jumped back and out of the shed.

When the light faded, Illya saw an enormous man standing before her. He had to have been at least twelve feet tall (slightly crouching to avoid hitting the ceiling of the shed), with muscles that were as big as she was. In his hand was a sword befitting his size, made of stone. She then realized the man himself seemed to be made of stone, or at least looked like it.

"Are you... Master?" He asked. "I must protect Master."

"Yes, yes, I'm your master!" Illya instantly shouted, panicking. She didn't know, or care, if she was actually this monster man's master. She just wanted to survive. "Please, stop that bad guy!"

Illya's Servant rushed out the door with speed uncharacteristic for his size, lunging at Lancer. The two battled, a whirlwind of slashes and thrusts exploding between them. Lancer skidded back from a blocked strike, surprised. "You must be Berserker. Only class that would have your kind of strength." He took a different stance, spear burning with a red aura. Illya recognized it as the attack Lancer attempted to use on Medusa before he spotted Illya.

She tried to shout a warning to Berserker, only for Lancer to make his move.

" _Gaes Bolg_!" He declared. A red light struck Berserker right in the chest, piercing through his guard. And his chest. Berserker grunted, before slashing Lancer with his sword and slamming him into the ground. Lancer picked himself up, jumping away from Berserker's follow up attack.

"I could have sworn I hit your heart." Lancer said, surprised. He supposed it made sense. If that girl could get up after being stabbed in the heart, then it only stood to reason her Servant might share her durability. He then brought up his spear, blocking Medusa's chain.

Medusa (and Shinji) were flying overhead, riding on Pegasus; Medusa's mount. Pegasus was a bright white horse with wings.

Lancer stayed silent for a moment. "Sorry, but I have to go. My Master is a bit of a coward, and doesn't think I can take the two of you." And then he dispersed into blue particles, returning to his Master.

Pegasus landed, Medusa and Shinji umping off onto the grass. "Good to see we weren't too late." Shinji said. "So, kid, you're a mage?"

Illya stared at him, failing to process his words. She was just coming to terms with the fact that somebody tried to murder her, and she was saved by a giant muscle man whose name was apparently just _Berserker_. She walked up to Berserker, hugging his leg. "Thank you, Berserker, for saving me!"

"Not... real name." Berserker stated. He sort of tried to return the favor with his free hand, lightly wrapping his arm around Illya.

"We should head inside to talk." Medusa said. This girl clearly had no clue what she was getting into.


	2. Last Prologue to the Grail War

The four sat down in Illya's living room around the table, Berserker towering over everyone present.

"So, little girl, how much do you know about the Holy Grail War?" Shinji asked.

"First of all: I'm fifteen." Illya grumbled. "And my _name_ is Illyasviel von Einzbern."

Shinji stared at her in utter shock, while Medusa merely laughed at the sight. "You're my sister's age." He flatly said, baffled. "You look like you're eight."

Illya pouted, annoyed. " _I get that a lot_."

"Fine. Well, since you don't seem to have any awareness of the Holy Grail War, I'll explain it to you." Shinji said. "'The Holy Grail War is a battle royale fought within Fuyuki City over the legendary Holy Grail, a cup capable of granting any wish.' That was what my grandfather taught me and my sister. We summon Heroic Spirits from across time to fight on our behalf. For example, one could get King Arthur or Oda Nobunaga. These Heroic Spirits are the Servants, like my Rider or your Berserker."

"Who's Berserker?" She asked. "What sort of Heroic Spirit is he?"

"Hercules." Medusa stated. "One of the most famous heroes in all of history."

Shinji understood why Medusa recognized Hercules so quickly, but was still taken aback. ' _This little girl managed to stumble her way into getting not just a Berserker-class Servant, but_ Hercules _?!_ '

"Hercules." Illya said to herself, looking up at Berserker. Even when he was sitting down, his sheer bulk still made him taller than Illya. "Is that your true name?"

"Yes." Berserker simply said.

"Although, I will say that whatever you did to summon him was incredibly sloppy." Medusa added. "Hercules was a lot more talkative than this. He loved to hear the sound of his own voice."

"I concur with Rider." Shinji said. "A Servant, while perhaps not truly the being that had achieved whatever granted them heroic status, should still share their personality with the original. How experienced are you with magic, exactly?"

Illya shrugged, before creating a bird Familiar. "I can create Familiars and that's it. Mister Kiritsugu didn't managed to pass on much before..." She trailed off, remembering a painful memory.

Shinji was only more confused. These Familiars seemed to be... self-powering? Not quite that far, but they were horrifically advanced to a level that seemed almost inhuman. And those magic circuits he saw, they didn't look right. But, he wasn't going to say anything yet. Keeping himself on Illya's good side seemed like his best bet to win the Holy Grail War. Between Berserker taking care of direct confrontations, Rider backing him up, and Assassin doing what the class does best, winning would be a cinch!

The only issue was how he would defeat Berserker once all the other Masters were out of the way. But that was a bridge to cross later.

"So, I am wondering what your plans in this Holy Grail War are." Shinji said. "As long as you have Berserker with you, you are liable to be targeted by other Masters."

"Hercules is really strong, right?" Illya asked.

"A Servant's power is tied to their fame and age. Being a both well-known and rather old Heroic Spirit, he is one of the strongest Servants one could possibly summon." Medusa said.

"Then I'll fight. To prevent any more people from getting hurt." Illya stated. "And I'll work with you, since you're the only person I know in this Holy Grail War."

Shinji was silent for a moment. He almost wanted to make fun of her for being so trusting, but Hercules' presence shut those thoughts down pretty quickly. "I _suppose_ you can work with me. Just be sure not to drag me down."

Illya rolled her eyes. "So, what's next?"

"We register you for the war. The priest who oversees it can explain more." Shinji said. "Follow me."

* * *

The four headed to a church on the outskirts of the city, where they met Kirei Kotomine. Hercules had to stay outside for a multitude of reasons, and Rider stood guard with him.

Illya did not trust that man. Shinji didn't either, but knew he was the only person who could explain the Holy Grail War better than him. Honestly, the look in Kotomine's eye was more than plenty for Illya to consider using one of her Command Seals to bring Hercules in there and kill him. 

But she didn't. As much as she hated to admit it, killing the Overseer of the Holy Grail War was probably a bad idea. Especially if he had a Servant of his own, one even stronger than Hercules.

If Shinji could have heard her, he would have laughed. That priest couldn't _possibly_ be a Master. It was the only reason why Shinji even set foot in the church instead of burning it down.

Kotomine explained the Holy Grail War, reiterating much of the information that Shinji and Rider had told Illya. And Illya explained that she was going to fight in the war to prevent people like her (or the her from a few hours ago) from getting hurt, and Kotomine... well, he didn't _laugh_.

"I suppose I cannot judge _why_ one fights in this war." He said in response. "But are you certain you wish to proceed? Simply using all of your Command Seals would cause you to rescind your Master status."

"I'm certain." Illya stated. "I'm going to fight. Berserker's strong, and that kind of strength should be used to help people."

There was a ghost of a smile on Kotomine's face, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. "Very well then. That makes all seven Servants summoned and ready. The Holy Grail War is officially in progress. You should return to your home and prepare as much as possible."

The duo definitely did not like or trust that man.

* * *

While on their way back to their homes, they came face to face with a red-haired boy. He was about Shinji's age, and was dressed in some casual clothing. And beside him was a woman with blonde hair, dressed in an armored gown.

Illya and Shinji, despite their shared ineptitude, instantly recognized that woman as a Servant. And Shinji quickly figured she had to be Saber. The one he wanted most in the first place.

"Hey there, little sister." He said. Despite his words and tone, Illya's blood ran cold. She had no family. Not anymore. Fujine was the only one she really considered family, and that was a special case. The disaster ten years ago took everything she had back then, and then Kiritsugu passed some time later.

"Who- who are you?" Illya questioned.

"Shirou Emiya." The boy responded, _like that actually told her anything_. "Just a nobody."

"A nobody with a Saber-class Servant." Shinji said. "And I've never heard of a mage family by the name of 'Emiya'. Who are you and why are you here?"

"I'm Shirou Emiya." The boy answered. "And... I'm here to kill you. Well, I'm here to kill her, but you're also in my way so... Saber?"

Saber tensed up for battle, wielding a sword of invisible air. "Understood, Shirou." She stated.

And then she lunged.


	3. The First Battle of the War

Saber's lunge was instantly met by Berserker... lunging felt like it wasn't nearly a strong enough word to describe what he did. He kicked off the pavement with enough force that Illya was sent flying back a few feet and rocketed at Saber like a missile. Berserker brought his axe-sword down upon Saber, who sidestepped it. Much to Saber's utter shock, there was suddenly no ground beneath her, the force of Berserker's strike having shattered the ground and destroyed any stable footing within a good six feet of him.

Saber barely managed to bring up her weapon in time to block his follow up punch, skidding across the pavement. She came to a stop next to Shirou, who simply stepped back. Even _he_ was off-put by the raw power Berserker had in store. Saber rushed away, circling around Berserker as she tried to formulate a plan of attack against him.

Berserker didn't need to do that. He closed the distance, swinging his weapon with reckless abandon. Saber narrowly dodged every blow, her finely honed instincts allowing her to avoid every strike as if she could see the future. That said, her body wasn't able to quite keep up with her senses or Berserker, who managed to land a hard kick after she tried moving behind him.

Illya, Shinji, and Shirou were all in awe at what they were seeing. While Illya and Shinji had both seen Servants battle before, they were now watching the two strongest Servants in the war (as far as they could tell) duking it out. It was the sheer might of Hercules meeting the refined technique of a Servant that Illya and Shinji couldn't identify.

' _Shinji, I suggest we get clear._ ' Medusa telepathically ordered.

' _Are you planning something?_ ' Shinji mentally responded.

' _Getting away from this battle. Fighting alongside Berserker right now is a risky proposition at best, and you don't seem to capable of combat._ '

Well, she wasn't wrong. All Shinji could really pull off was Rune-based magic like a Bounded Field. Nothing that would be useful in this scenario. And he definitely agreed that it would be difficult to work _with_ Berserker in this fight. He lived up to his name, and would attack anything that came anywhere near him that wasn't Illya. While Medusa had range with her chain-spike, the fight Berserker and Saber were having was a tad too fast paced for her to attack and hit Saber instead of Berserker.

But, looking at Illya, Shinji came to a different conclusion. ' _We're going to stay and kill that Emiya._ ' He mentally stated. ' _By doing so, we can hopefully remain in Illya's good graces until we can figure how to combat her Servant._ '

Medusa was silent for a few moments, before manifesting in the trees nearby; hidden from sight. She didn't really have much of a major opinion of Hercules, but she respected his power and would prefer to have him on her side for as long as possible. Even if she had all the mana in the world, she doubted she could beat Hercules.

* * *

Off in the distance, Rin Tohsaka stood on a building with her Servant, Archer. Archer watched the battle between Hercules and Saber with interest. This world he had been summoned into was just _wrong_. Illya seemed to be a human, and allied with _Shinji_ of all people, and his past self... was Shirou Emiya a homunculous in this world?

This meant his idea for how to end his fate wasn't an option. While one could argue that even if he succeeded in one timeline, he'd be replaced by a version of himself from a different time, at least it might work. Even if he did it properly here, that Shirou Emiya was not to become the Heroic Spirit EMIYA.

"The Berserker and the Saber are battling with extreme force." He eventually said, informing Rin. Rin was at least the same in this world, more or less. "I should warn you, even one of my Noble Phantasms may not be enough to put an end to either of them." It wasn't quite a lie. He couldn't use Unlimited Blade Works to its fullest from here, and Hercules wasn't going down at this stage of the war.

Rin took a moment to think. "Then we shall observe them for now."

Archer nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the battle. At least he can have the luxury of seeing the chaos without worrying about dying in the crossfire.

* * *

Saber flipped over one of Berserker's horizontal slashes, landing one of her own on his chest and actually managing to damage him.

This turned out to be a huge mistake, as Berserker regenerated the wound at a horrifying speed and then struck right back with a punch that sent her flying. Saber tumbled across the ground, turning it into a roll and picking herself back up just in time to evade another attack from Berserker.

' _Shirou, I don't know how I'm going to beat him without my Noble Phantasm. Permission to use it?_ ' Saber telepathically asked.

' _Destroy him._ ' Shirou ordered.

That was all Saber needed to hear. A burst of wind forced Berserker back, as she revealed the true form of her sword. The golden blade shined like the sun itself, a beacon of light against all unholy beings. Nobody present recognized what it was then, but it was the one true clue to Saber's identity. She drove her blade into Berserker's chest, blasting his entire upper body to ash.

" _Berserker_!" Illya cried out, tears welling up in her eyes.

Medusa made her move, hoping that the distraction of Berserker's seeming demise would give her the chance to end Shirou's life with her chain spike. If this play were to fail, she expected it would be by Saber somehow managing to swoop in to save him.

As you'd expect, she was utterly caught off guard by Shirou managing to not only detect her presence, but to them create a sword in his hand and block the attack.

Saber stepped back from Berserker's body, turning to go after Medusa. The sheath of wind reappeared over her sword, the true power of the blade not needed at the moment.

"Take care of Illya. Don't kill her, but make sure she can't fight back." Shirou ordered.

Saber turned to focus on Illya, who barely even noticed her presence in her grief over Berserker's death. She made a move.

Which, once again, turned out to be a major mistake. Berserker's body suddenly moved, regenerating his upper body in time to give him a hand to punch Saber full force while she was distracted.

Shirou deflected another attack from Medusa, turning his attention to his Servant. " _Saber_!"

Saber moved, rushing to her Master's side in time to stop another one of Medusa's attacks. "I apologize, Shirou. I didn't anticipate he'd be able to recover from my attack so quickly, or at all."

"It's fine." Shirou said, before turning to the other Masters present. "You can live for a little while longer. I think we're done for tonight." Saber then grabbed him, speeding away before Berserker and Medusa could pursue.

This left Illya and Shinji staring at where they used to be in shock. Of course, they moved their focus to Berserker, questioning how in the hell he survived having his _entire upper body blasted apart_.

Medusa returned to Shinij's side in short order, answering his silent question. "I suppose his Noble Phantasm represents his Twelve Labors, giving him that many lives before he finally dies?" She suggested. "I don't remember Hercules having survived _that_ , however."

Shinji was only growing more baffled by the oddity that was Illya and her Servant, Hercules. Not only did a complete novice somehow manage to stumble upon one of the most powerful Heroic Spirits one could summon, and have absurdly complex Familiars to assist it, but Hercules just _won't_ die. Even with his relatively ineptitude (he may be fairly knowledgeable of magical theory, but he lacks the strength to actually pull anything off besides Runes), he could tell that Medusa just didn't have enough power to break the monster's skin, let alone kill him.

Maybe with Pegasus? Even that might not be enough.

* * *

Shirou soaked in the water of his bath at his home (a massive castle outside the city limits), Saber standing guard nearby.

"You can relax, Saber." Shirou said.

"We underestimated our competition." Saber stated. Still, she relaxed her stance and put her sword away. "That Berserker was far beyond what we had anticipated."

"Berserker? Eh, we weren't really going all out either. You killed him once, I think we can repeat that process enough times to make it stick. And that other Servant doesn't really have what it takes to do anything to us." Shirou said. "Kiritsugu's betrayal will be paid with blood, rest assured."

Saber didn't say anything. While she didn't quite remember Fourth Holy Grail War, she recognized that something was just wrong here. Kiritsugu was the closest to something she remembered in the haze, and the way Shirou talked about him seemed... off. She closed her eyes, clearing away her doubts. It did not matter what world she had been summoned into. The Holy Grail was her primary goal, and she would acquire it at any cost.


	4. Respite for the Masters

The day after Illya's summoning of Berserker and the battles with Lancer and Saber, she figured a few things out. Number one was the fact that Berserker was completely incapable of dematerializing like other Servants. This alone was going to be annoying, if only for the purpose of hiding him from Fujine and Sakura. A twelve foot tall giant man made of stone wasn't exactly easy to explain away.

This was where the second thing came into play. Apparently, Servants could shapeshift a little to disguise themselves. Most of the time it was merely in the form of altering their clothing to that of a civilian (at least, that was what she guessed the main purpose was), but Berserker did a bit more than that. He shrank himself down to seven feet tall, and his skin changed to a more human tone (still fairly tanned, befitting his status as a Greek Hero). At least she could explain him away as being a bodybuilder or something like that, which was significantly better than her original plan of making him stand completely still and then claim he was a statue she _somehow_ managed to acquire.

And the last thing was that, at least for Berserker, if she focused _really_ hard, she could see the statistics of a Servant. While she didn't have anything to compare Berserker's stats to, what she saw lined up pretty well with what she had seen against Lancer and Saber. It also gave her information of his Class Skill, Mad Enhancement. Basically, it traded sanity for power.

Which in turn surprised her to discover that he had a fairly low Mad Enhancement. She just assumed the hulking brute that could survive having his entire upper body being blasted to dust would have had the highest Mad Enhancement possible.

She was really thankful today was a Sunday, and thus had no school.

"So, Berserker, you're a lot more... sane, than I expected." She ended up saying, sitting in the living room with him. Berserker was currently in his 'human' form (while he definitely carried the image of a human, what Mad Enhancement he did have gave him an aura of menace). "I guess my summoning really messed you up."

" _Don't_..." Berserker started. _beat yourself up over it_ , he wanted to say. But even the simplest of sentences were difficult for him, especially now. When he was first summoned and was at his peak, he could speak well enough to help Illya... but the haze of Mad Enhancement (however low it was) made it much harder than it should be. 

"But, you're here now. So, I guess it can't be helped." Illya decided. "And I'm gonna make sure we win the Holy Grail War. I wonder what kind of wish you have."

Berserker was as quiet as ever. " _No_... _wish_."

Illya shrugged. "Guess that makes two of us."

Their conversation didn't continue beyond that point, as Illya decided to go do some research on mythology in an attempt to gain an edge in the Holy Grail War and then had to prepare dinner since Fujine and Sakura were coming over tonight.

* * *

Sakura and Kojiro walked through a currently empty office building. They had heard reports of people suddenly becoming tired (supposedly a gas leak), and decided to investigate.

Right now, they were in midst of combat with a bunch of Familiars, skeletal beasts resembling canines. Kojiro expertly sliced through each and every one that approached him and his Master, showcasing swordsmanship more in line with that of a Saber than an Assassin.

When asked about it, he simply replied with: "I can only assume that the Assassin class was the closest one left over for me." Before tearing through another pair of Familiars in one clean slash.

* * *

Shinji headed down to Illya's place later that night to discuss strategy going forward. He had sent Medusa to scout ahead, and she gave him the all clear (albeit with a certain level of amusement that bothered him greatly).

He knocked on the door, and faintly heard Illya shout that she was getting the door. After Illya let him in, he saw the sight of Sakura, Miss Fujimura, and what he could only assume was _Berserker_ sitting around a table eating dinner.

"Oh, good evening, big brother!" Sakura greeted. While Shinji couldn't see Assassin, he could only assume that he was also present in spirit form. "It's nice to see you join us for dinner tonight!"

She _had_ to be doing that on purpose to embarrass him. Sure, he hadn't told her that Illya was a Master, but in his defense, he also didn't realize that Sakura was going to _Illya's_ place for dinner all those times. He planned on informing her once Illya had confirmed her alliance verbally now that the war was ongoing.

So, with no other choice, Shinji had to play along. "Well, you did invite me to meet your friend." He said. He was only really concerned with not arousing too much suspicion in Muss Fujimura, who already seemed to be ever-so-slightly off right now in the presence of Berserker.

This was going to be a _long_ night.

* * *

It might have been a long night, but it was becoming an informative one.

Shinji learned more about Illya's foster father, Kiritsugu Einzbern, who adopted her after that disaster ten years ago. For some reason, Shinji immediately had the thought that he should ask his uncle about the disaster.

Which was odd. Sure, Kariya knew about magic, and had taught them after Grandfather Zouken passed about ten years ago ( _good riddance_ ), but the disaster was _just_ a fire that broke out.

Either way, it became clear that Illya's questionable reasoning for joining the Holy Grail War was because of Kiritsugu Einzbern. And that he was a mage, but Illya didn't outright say with Miss Fujimura present.

Honestly, the biggest surprise was the fact that Illya had claimed that Berserker was one of Kiritsugu's friends, and that _Miss Fujimura believed her_. He knew she was airheaded, but how does anyone believe that somebody is actually named _Berserker_?

Thankfully, Miss Fujimura left and the three mages could talk freely.

"So, _Shinji_ , you didn't tell me Illya was a mage." Sakura said, her tone containing just a hint of sternness.

"I didn't know you knew her!" Shinji instantly retorted. "And besides, you should have known if you'd been hanging out with her for the past two years!"

"Berserker, could you please tell them to calm down?" Illya requested. Berserker simply stood up, and both Matous instantly quieted themselves. He then sat back down. "Good. So, I'm a mage, you're all mages, let's move on from that and talk business."

"I heard a little about what happened from my brother." Sakura said. "You two got attacked by Lancer and Saber."

"And today, I tried doing some research on mythological figures to find out who they are!" Illya added.

"That's perfect! If we can figure out who those Servants actually are, then we might have a shot of winning this war." Shinji said. He left that it would almost certainly be Illya winning at this rate unsaid. Even knowing that Berserker was Hercules was entirely unhelpful, in the face of that kind of power.

"But... blue guy with a red spear didn't get me anything and Joan of Arc never used a super powerful golden sword, so..." Illya trailed off.

"You still don't actually know any of their identities." Shinji realized, sighing. "Of course. At least we're not moving backwards."

"Speaking of Servants, I found out what Caster's been up to." Sakura said. "All those 'gas leaks' you hear about on the news are probably Caster draining people's mana."

"Then they should be our next target." Illya stated.

"I can't say I disagree there, but do you have any clue where Caster is?" Shinji asked.

Sakura shrugged.

This strategy meeting was going to take a while.

* * *

_A younger Illya (even if she didn't look much different from how she is now) sat outside with Kiritsugu Einzbern. It was night time, with the full moon hanging in the sky overhead._

_"I once had a dream." He told her. "I wanted to be a hero and save the world."_

_"What happened?" Illya asked._

_"I met a woman. She shared my drive to change the world for the better, but didn't agree with how I wanted to do it." Kiritsugu sighed. "In the end, neither of us got what we wanted. Even if we had worked together, we simply couldn't do it."_

_"Well, I'm gonna do it for you." Illya stated, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. "I'm still young! I can save the world for you, and then you can rest easy."_

_Kiritsugu chuckled. "I hope you do. Just... remember you can't save everyone, okay?"_

* * *

Illya woke up to the sight of Berserker standing in her room, and practically jumped out of her bed.

" _Coming... with..._ " Berserker stated. " _School._ "

This war was going to be exhausting for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't like she could really argue with Berserker. Outside of using a Command Seal, it wasn't like she could stop him.

* * *

On the list of things she expected to see in the Holy Grail War, seeing her classmates fawning over Berserker was not one of them.

Sakura gave Illya a look.

" _He insisted he come with me_." Illya whispered.

Sakura nodded in understanding. Kojiro had insisted he come along as well, but he could at least follow her in spirit form and not draw enormous amounts of attention to himself. She idly wondered how Shinji was going to react once he found out what was going on.

* * *

" _What. The. Hell. Were. You. Thinking?_ " Shinji questioned, having basically dragged Illya and Berserker up to the roof during lunch.

"I can't really stop Berserker? And he wanted to come with me." Illya explained. "Those Command Seal things are really important, and it seemed like a dumb idea to waste one on this."

Shinji looked over at Berserker, and promptly decided to shut up about that. "Anyway, I have an idea as to who one of the other Masters is." He eventually said. "I assume you're aware of the Three Founding Families, right?"

Illya shook her head.

Shinji sighed. "Of course you don't. Those three families, the Matous, Emiyas, and Tohsakas, were the three families that created the Holy Grail War. We just met the Emiya representative last night, you know who the Matou representative is, so that leaves the Tohsaka. Who is my classmate. I doubt she wouldn't enter the war, so that means..."

"We know five of the seven Masters, right?" Illya realized. "Do you think Tohsaka is Caster's Master?"

Shinji shrugged. "Tohsaka's a massive bitch, but I don't think she's the type to steal the mana of random bystanders. Or to order her Servant to kill a girl who looks like she's ten. I think she's Archer's Master."

" _I don't look like I'm ten_." Illya grumbled. "So, what does Archer do?"

Shinji shrugged. "I have no idea. We know he has a bow, and that's basically it. Steer clear of Tohsaka for now."

* * *

While Illya was in another class, Berserker had stepped out to explore the school (and search for threats, but explaining that was difficult in his current state).

This was how he came face to face with a teacher by the name of Souichirou Kuzuki.

"I suppose you must be that man that Miss Fujimura had spoken about. The one staying the first year, Illyasviel von Einzbern." He noted.

Berserker nodded. No use trying to lie in the presence of this strange man. Something about Kuzuki... it didn't put him on edge but it bothered him nonetheless.

Illya ran over, grabbing Berserker's arm. "Sorry if he caused any trouble. He just got here, so he doesn't quite have a solid grasp of Japanese yet."

"It is fine, Miss Einzbern." Kuzuki stated. "I approached him out of curiosity, and found all the answers I needed. Remember to head straight to your residence after school."

With that, he turned around and left.

Berserker decided he needed to figure out a way to determine if that man was trustworthy or not. But, that would have to wait.

* * *

Archer confronted Illya and Berserker as the two headed back from school. Even with as little experience as Illya had, she instantly recognized him as a Servant. Berserker was instantly at the ready to fight, his axe-sword appearing in his hand.

"I only wish to speak with you." Archer stated, holding his hands up in a show of non-aggression. "Can I have a conversation, or are you going to attempt to take out an enemy Servant in broad daylight?"

"You have my permission. But, if you try anything, Berserker _will_ cut you up." Illya said.

Archer chuckled. "He probably could. I wanted to ask you... what do you think of the man named Kiritsugu Emiya?"

"Emiya?" Illya questioned. "Mister Kiritsugu's surname was Einzbern. Or are you thinking of someone else?"

Archer didn't say anything for a few moments, processing what he heard. "Then you're..." He said to himself. "Never mind. I understand. I will let you ask a question as payment for answering mine."

"Are you going to attack us?" Illya asked.

"That's... that's not up for me to decide." Archer answered. "My Master is the only one who can make that decision. Just know that I will not act to harm _you_ , even if ordered to by my Master."

Archer then vanished into blue particles, returning to his Master in spirit form.

* * *

Archer returned to his Master at her residence, appearing in her living room.

"I have returned from reconnaissance." He stated. "I discovered something interesting about Ill- _Einzbern._ "

"So _that's_ where you were." Rin said. "Well, what did you discover?"

"Einzbern simply doesn't make sense. As you are aware, Berserker Servants constantly drain the mana from their Masters. It's what affords them such strength."

"What are you saying? Is Berserker not draining her mana?" Rin asked. That could prove troublesome. While she had entered this war to prove herself as a great mage, she had no illusions regarding taking on Berserker with just Archer without extreme preparation. Waiting until Berserker exhausted Illya was their best bet, and who knows how long that will take now.

"More akin to her having mana reserves that are obscene. I had managed to see her Magic Circuits, and they seem to explain it, while raising more questions at the same time." Archer paused, thinking back to his Illya. She had told him at one point that she had been modified by the Einzberns to be more powerful. This Illya seemed to bear some of those modifications, but without being a homunculous or being a member of the proper Einzbern family. "Magic Circuits appear to cover roughly ninety percent of her body."

"That _is_ worrying." Rin said. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"I will not harm Illyasviel von Einzbern. She-" He wanted to say _was my sister_ , but couldn't say it in front of this Rin. "She reminds me too much of someone I used to know. I apologize in advance, but even a Command Seal won't force me to hurt her."

"I understand." Rin simply stated. She had people she wasn't going to hurt, no matter what. Perhaps Sakura has always ignored her, but she's never going to hurt her. She won't even kill Shinji, since he's Sakura's brother now. "Let's start trying to figure out a plan from here."


End file.
